Joshua Seth Talks 'Digimon Adventure tri-Chapter 1: Reunion'

Joshua Seth is a successful mentalist and keynote speaker. But to anime fans, he's also the original voice of  Taichi "Tai" Kamiya in "Digimon Adventure" series. He retired from voice acting in 2005, but he is one of the original cast members who agreed to return to the Digimon universe to participate in the English language dub of "Digimon Adventure tri-Chapter 1: Reunion." The movie premieres in the U.S. on Sept. 15 , when it plays in 400+ movie theaters nationwide. The film is the first Digimon English-dubbed feature to be released in the U.S. since 2000, will also feature an extended sneak peek of the English-subbed Chapter 3 as well as additional bonus content.

It's been six years since that summer adventure when Tai (now in high school) and the rest of the "DigiDestined" crossed over to the Digital World, and nearly three years since the frenzied final battles between warring factions. With the gate to the Digital World closed, time continues to pass, until the adventure "digi-volves" once again. A lot has changed for the characters and for Joshua Seth. He recently spoke about the movie and the reasons why he's happy to once again be part of the Digimon world.


Q: Did you ever think they would come back to the original cast to tell one more story?

Joshua Seth: I think they almost didn't come back to the original cast and I have the fans to thank for that. Because I wouldn't have even known this was happening if it hadn't have been for people on Facebook and Twitter letting me know. I literally would not have known they had made the announcement for this, because I'm not in that world anymore. I'm in the live performance and touring world right now. I definitely have the fans to thank for getting reconnected to this project.

The producers were very much on-board with me returning and it gives the project more integrity. "Digimon" isn't just about the storyline or the animation. It's also about those now iconic voices that gave life to those characters. So a bunch of us came back and I think it can only make the project better.

Q: How did you approach voicing Tai now, since he is obviously older. How differently did you approach the voice now compared to the way you did you did back then?

Joshua Seth: I think the key to the way that I voiced him now was to consider that he's wise beyond his years, because of his life experiences. And I discussed this with the production team, "Should I make him sound older?" Listening to me now, you'll notice that my voice isn't really that far off from Tai. I just stretch it up a little bit when I do him. But it's still me. And we discussed that, since he's older, do we just leave my voice as it naturally sounds? And we ultimately decided that no, we should stay true to the original vocal characterization of Tai.

So when you see the movie, you'll notice that the sound of Tai is very similar. The main difference is that I made his expression more thoughtful. And that wasn't just me, it was in the text as well. That's the way his charatcer had evolved. He is pondering the larger meaning of whether what they are doing is actually beneficial, actually changing things. He's grappling with larger issues from a more mature perspective. And that is really what has changed.

Q: What are your thoughts on the way the franchise has evolved?

Joshua Seth: Well, I'm happy that it has evolved. Back then "Digimon" first came out, there wasn't online streaming, there was no Netflix and we kind of thought it was "one and done."  It would air on Saturday mornings and I remember recording the video game and of course the movie. And that was the trajectory, as far as anyone knew. I thought it would come out on DVD, or actually video tape back then. 

But because of the internet, it was given a new life and a new audience. People would watch it for nostalgic reasons, to reconnect with their childhood. I hear that all of the time. People come up to me after my live shows and say "Dude, you were the voice of my childhood!" So I know that people watch it for nostalgia. But there's also a whole new generation of kids who have been turned onto Digimon now, because they have been able to stream it online or get the DVDs. And even more so now that new product is being produced and I hope the franchise will continue to evolve.

We've seen what happened with "Pokemon Go!" Why shouldn't Digimon come back into the wider public consciousness in the same way, carving out its own space? The old shows don't have to die anymore. They can just find new life and new audiences and new formats.

Q: One of the most important parts of the movie is how we see not just Tai but the other characters grow up. And we also see Tai a bit more hesitant. How was that for to deal with a character who used to just jump right in and is now just a bit more reserved?

Joshua Seth: I loved it as an actor, because there are only so many ways as an actor that you can say "Come on guys, let's go save the world!" The full depth and breadth of the human emotion is more interesting, so the fact that he's gotten a little bit older, a little more reserved, a little more pensive, a little more introspective...I just think it makes it a little more interesting of a character. As it would with a human being. As a person, we all start out a little wide-eyed and innocent. Over time we get life experiences and they color our perceptions of the world and our interactions with other people. It makes us more complex human beings and ultimately more interesting.

Q: What is the appeal of voice acting for you, as opposed to your other creative pursuits?

Joshua Seth: The appeal of voice acting is that is such a pure, real, emotional expression. You take all of your communicative skill sets as a performer and then channel them through this one mode of expression, which is your voice. In on-camera acting, you can use your body, your body language, your whole instrument, as it were. And I've always found acting to be such a pure form of creative expression, because you can't do that.

It's like being a singer. You have to find some way to communicate your heart and soul with your hands tied behind your back. And I always think that some creative expressions make people better. If you have unlimited time and resources, you're unlikely to create much of anything. But if someone tells you "you have six weeks and one shot to create something people will remember," you'll damn well be sure you'll create something. Voice acting is like that. It restricts you so much, that you really have to bring everything to bear to not make it sound hackneyed or stilted or flat. I like the opportunity to be able to rise to that challenge.

As for Tai specifically, of all the characters I've done, it's the one I feel is closest to me as a person. And it's the one that is probably the closest to the way that I speak in daily life.

Q: You mentioned earlier that you had stepped back from the world of "Digimon" fandom and you're now getting back to it with "Tri." There was a marked change after the fourth season and now "Digimon" is coming across more as a kids property. For many fans, the early seasons seemed like more of a mature series. And I'm curious about your take on the shift of the show from a serious anime to more kid-friendly Pokemon-type project?

Joshua Seth: If you're referring to the "Tri" movie, I didn't see that as regressive in regards to the age of the potential audience. I think it has more a mature feel to it, actually, than even the original series. If you're referring to the marketing, well, that's certainly something different. I think Hollywood has woken up to the fact that the audience for kids programming is one of the largest markets there is. Because they are insatiable, these kids. They will watch so much media. So of course they are going to want to pull that market into anime or any kind of property for whom it's relevant. But I don't feel that "Digimon" pulled any punches in order to accommodate younger viewers. I just think that market-wise, that's where the money is.

Q: How did it feel to get together with some of the original cast members?

Joshua Seth: It felt great. There are even more names than fans know about, because a lot of the behind-the-scenes people returned as well. It's been wild, especially because I'm not in L.A. anymore. So a lot of these people, they still see each other, they still bump into each other at auditions. I'm going to be in six different states in the next seven days doing live shows and none of them are in California.

So every time I would see someone I would see someone I'd think "Holy crap, you've changed so much! But your voice has stayed the same." And that's the funny thing about voice actors. We age like anybody else, but because we're so vocally expressive it really feels like the same person, it sounds like the same person. Even if you haven't connected with them in years, it was a real special feeling.

And I'll give you a little example of that. Even though Laura Jill Miller, who played my little sister, did not come back for this stage of the project, we were texting while I was out there and we ended up grabbing lunch together and hanging out for the afternoon. It was real special every time I saw someone again.


Q: Will you back for the rest of the "Digimon tri" English-language releases?

Joshua Seth: That remains to be seen. It's not entirely up to me in terms of my continued involvement. But I can you that I had a blast recording this and I continue to open to portraying Tai and coming back and doing the while thing again.

Q: You were talking earlier about fans reaching out to you about the project. How helpful do you think it's been to the future of "Digimon" to have such a passionate fanbase?

Joshua Seth: I think it's a double-edged sword. I can take that question and relate it to all of celebrity and all of media. The positive part of social media is that it levels the playing field and it gives fans access to actors in a way that previously they never had. And that gives performers like myself access to their insights and feedback that I wouldn't have gotten otherwise. That part's all great.

The negative side is when studios make decisions based too much on social media feedback. Something gets an initial negative fan reaction on Twitter and they are going to kill the project. Instead of giving it room to breathe and a chance to evolve, something will happen online. And they take that out of proportion. It's like putting too much faith in poll numbers. They tell a snapshot, they don't tell the whole story.

The other negative of social media is that it can become a real time vampire. People can get sucked into that digital world and think that is the real world. When in fact the real world is away from your screen and with other people. If kept in proper balance, I think social media can be a wonderful tool.

Q: When the new movie was dubbed into English, some of the music was also changed. Without getting too deep into the original vs. dubbed argument, what is your take on this? Does the fact that it includes new music matter?

Joshua Seth: When I first heard the music, I thought "Hey, what happened to the original theme song?" But the more time I spent with the project, the more I really liked the new music. Because everything about it has evolved: the characters have evolved, the situations have evolved. We as the audience has evolved, the world has changed. Changing the music helps set the new scene. The new music starts, the characters are older and you know something new is about to happen. So I actually ended up really liking the new music and feeling as if it was the right choice.

"Digimon Adventure tri-Chapter 1: Reunion" premieres on Thursday, September 15th, 2016 at 400+ movie theaters. Click here to get show info and buy tickets.